Compactor



D. RICHARDS March 8, 1955 COMPACTOR Filed Oct. 7;' 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1IN VEIY TOR. Dung/7f Q/c/zards March 8, 1955 D. RICHARDS 2,703,515

COMPACTOR Filed Oct. 7, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 147 TOP/V5 V5 UnitedStates Patent COIVIPACTOR Dwight Richards, Portland, 0reg., assignor toGuy F.

Atkinson Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of NevadaApplication October 7, 1950, Serial No. 188,961

2 Claims. (Cl. 94-50) This invention relates generally to so-calledcompactors such as are used in road making operations.

In road construction projects it is common to use so called compactorsfor compressing or compacting road surfaces made of gravel, crushedstone or like materials. One type of compactor which has been widelyused makes use of a frame adapted to carry a heavy ballast and supportedby rubber tired wheels. While such machines are satisfactory in thatthey can exert the desired compacting pressures, they tend to involveconsiderable servicing expense. This is largely due to the fact that itis troublesome to replace a worn or punctured tire, particularly in thatit may be necessary to remove one or more wheels from an axle before thewheel or rim carrying the tire to be replaced can be removed. A furtherdisadvantage has been that the compacting forces may not be evenlydistributed over the several wheels, particularly where the groundsurfaces are uneven.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedcompactor which will overcome the defects mentioned above.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the abovecharacter having provision to facilitate removal of the wheels forreplacing or repairing a worn or punctured tire.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the abovecharacter having means which will insure even distribution of pressureto the several tires.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view, with parts broken away and shown insection, illustrating a machine incorporating the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken alon the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the machine.

Figure 4 is a rear sectional view of the machine, illustrating a portionof the mounting for the wheels.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional detail on an enlarged scale taken alongthe line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail taken along the line 66of Figure 2.

The machine illustrated in the drawing consists of a main frame 10constructed to carry suitable ballast, and supported by the pneumatictired wheels 11. The wheels are arranged in pairs, and each pair ofwheels is associated with a subframe 12, which in turn is removablycarried by the main frame 10.

It will be evident that the main frame 10 can vary widely as tostructural details. The construction illustrated makes use of a centralbeam 14 which extends longitudinally of the machine, and which has itsforward end secured to the goose-neck extension 16. A ballast carryingbody is secured to the beam 14, and can include the forward and rearwalls 17 and 18, the side walls 19, and the bottom walls 21 and 22.Cross beams 23 and 24 extend between the side walls 19, and are securedto the bottom walls 21, 22. These beams are preferably in the form ofchannels as illustrated, and serve to form horizontal guideways 26, 27for receiving the subframes 12. An arched wall 28 is also positionedover the wheels 11, and is secured to the side walls 19, and to thebeams 23, 24. It will be evident that the body construction justdescribed provides spaces 29 and 31 for receiving suitable ballast suchas sand, rock, gravel, metal punchings or iron bars.

The subframes 12 are suitably dimensioned for positioning within theguideways 26, 27. Each subframe Fee consists of the forward and rearframe members 32 and 33, which are secured at their ends to the sideframe members 34 and 36. These members can be in the form of structuralsteel channels as illustrated. The one subframe member 34 is shownattached to the plate 37, which has projecting end portions 39 adaptedto be secured by bolts or screws 41 to the side walls of the main frame.

The frame members 32 and 33 serve to mount trunnions 42, 43 which inturn carry the rocker beam 44. Each of the trunnions may employ a rollerbearing assembly 48 as illustrated in Figure 5, and the arrangement issuch that each beam 44 is adapted to oscillate about a horizontal axisextending longitudinally of the machine. The intermediate portion ofeach beam 44 carties the laterally extending stub axles 47, which serveto mount the pneumatic tired wheels 11.

The parts just described, including each subframe 12, the trunnions 42and 43, the beam 44, and the wheels 11, form a complete assembly unitremovable from the machine for repair or replacement of tires.' In orderto remove a subframe it is only necessary to loosen the bolts or screws,after which the subframe is slid outwardly relative to the main frame.

In connection with each subframe it is' desirable to provide wedgingmeans whereby when the subframe is in operative position within theguideways 26 and 27, it is held rigidly against movements relative tothe main frame. Thus the members 32 and 33 of each subframe are providedwith the tapering wedging pads ,45 and 46 (Figure 6) which are adaptedto be engaged by the tapered pads 49 and 51 carried by the webs of .thechannels 23 and 24. The dimensions and taper of the pads is such thatwhen a subframe is slid into the main frame, there is a wedging actionbetween the pads whereby when the subframe is finally positioned, it isrigidly held against movements relative to the main frame.

When the machine is in use the draft bar 52 at the extremity of thegoose-neck 16 is attached to the draft clevis of a tractor, and suitableballast is placed in the main frame. The weight of the ballast isdistributedto the several wheels, due particularly to the pivotal actionof the beams 44. Likewise the downward forces supplied from the tires tothe roadway remain substantially equalized irrespective of unevenness ofthe surface over which the machine is operated. When it is necessary toreplace a worn or punctured tire, the particular subframe involved isremoved by disengaging the bolts 41, and thereafter it is a simplematter to remove the punctured or worn tire and make a repair orreplacement. A minimum amount of time is required for this operation,and furthermore each individual wheel or tire rim can be separatelyremoved, without the necessity of removing other tires or wheels fromtheir individual mountings. When a worn or punctured tire has beenreplaced, the subframe is returned to the main frame, after which thebolts 41 are applied, and the machine is then ready for further use.

I claim:

1. In a compactor having a frame, a hopper adapted to carry ballast, aplurality of pairs of ground engaging wheels, and a journalled beamsupporting each pair of wheels on said frame for pivotal movement. on aforeand-aft axis, the improvement comprising; opposed, open-endedparallel guideways extending transversely of said frame to the lateraledges thereof, a plurality of subframes supported by said guidewayswithin the lateral edges of said frame and below said hopper, eachsubframe having one of said journalled beams and its assoclated pair ofwheels mounted therein, and means releasably securing each of saidsubframes to said frame at a predetermined position along said guidewayswhereby each of said subframes may be individually removed from saidframe for easy access to the wheels carried thereby, said channels beingrespectively provided with opposing surfaces defining wedge-shapedspaces therebetween diverging toward the outer ends of said channels,the said opposedsides of said subframes being provided withcomplementary surfaces, said means for releasably securing saidsubframes to said frame including means to forcibly urge said subframesalong said channels into engagement with said diverging surfaces.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for securing saidsubframes to said frame comprises, a member extending along and securedto the outer side of each of said subframes, said members havingportions projecting beyond the ends of said outer sides and abutting theouter sides of said frame, and means zrecuring said projecting portionsto the sides of said ame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,214,151 Geer Jan. 30, 1917 i 4 Winegarner Feb. 4, 1919 Kysor Sept. 14,1925 Reid Aug. 23, 1927 McDowall Apr. 12, 1932 Hathaway July 8, 1941Flynn Sept. 15, 1942 Christensen Nov. 22, 1949 Bros et a1. Sept. 16,1952 OTHER REFERENCES Roads and Streets, ZOO-Ton Super Compactor,January 1948, pages 82-84.

